Devil's Bane
by Soulhost
Summary: The Seer's messiah; a young recruit. Valen and Nathyrra know what they're getting into? ValenXOC NathyrraXOC


_Disclaimer: _Obviously_ I don't own Neverwinter Nights, Hordes of the Underdark, or anyone from the game!_

_Claimer: Valyrin Xukuthis and Sai Myr are mine :3_

_A/N: I know, I know! I got the story's name from Valen's weapon rofl xD but yeah, got into the mood for some Hordes of the Underdark and Valen :3 also...I will be using elven and drow!! ^0^ using these sites: _

_Elven: http://www(.)coveworld(.)net/eberron/aerenal_translator(.)html_ (read the explanation of it before you jump on me about how it ain't really elvish)_

_Drow: http://www(.)grey-company(.)org/Maerdyn/resources/translator/index(.)cgi?text=&tiny=1&lang=Drow (take out the () if you wish to view it)_

_So, enjoy! :D and I hope I get Valen and Deekin right o.o ...and everyone else TT^TT_

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Barely Alive

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It's been a month since the Seer introduced their general; all the others disapproved of him, because of his heritage, but it was because of his heritage that he was able to gain "respect" from his soldiers.

She was a new recruit, much to some of the soldiers disgust; she was young and a tad clumsy, and possibly the most shyest and kindest one in all of the Underdark. The Seer respected her kindness to others, but her general seemed to disapprove of it.

He told her that she trusted others too easily and that is a fatal mistake; he constantly tested her on it and every time, she would fail and she would listen to his lecture while the other soldiers snickered at her. But those snickers never lasted long because the general would round on them with yells of orders.

She was a partially trained rogue; she dealt with two short swords easily and she moved just like any other drow. It was the only time she wasn't clumsy: concealed in the darkness. Out in the open, she felt exposed and naked, and it unnerved her at times. And it was another one of her many "faults" that her general would point out.

"Valyrin!" The stern voice called over to her while she was striking at the practice dummy. She stopped and turned to see her general striding up to her, his usual stern expression on his face. "Y-yes, General Shadowbreath?"

His eyes narrowed a bit at her stutter and she was glad for her dark skin to hide the bit of a blush as his glowing blue eyes bore into her.

"A scout has returned and has spotted about a dozen drows and duergars marching our way; I am going out with the same amount of soldiers..._you_ included."

The young drow blinked up at her general, trying to digest this information; she was going out...to fight? "Me, general?"

His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his plated chest. "Is that a problem?" his tail lashed from side to side as he towered over her. She tried not to let a tremor run through her and she swallowed the lump in her throat, "N-no, sir."

He nodded and turned, and walked away from her but called out, "Be ready in two hours!"

She immediately went to Gulhrys to get some healing potions then to Rizolvir to see if her two short swords were ready. Once done, she put everything where they belonged on her black leathers and belt.

Before heading to the gates, she went to the Seer, hoping she could calm her nerves. Upon seeing the young drow, the Seer smiled down at the nervous child. "Dos lor tahta, lotha uss," she spoke to her in drow. Speaking in common was unfamiliar for the soldier and made her nervous, but had to speak it for her general.

"Usstan tlun, ilhar," she replied quietly, glancing to the black tile. "P'wal dos ph' aluin doeb wund xonathull whol l' ust draeval?" The young recruit nodded and looked up as the Seer laid her soft hands on her shoulder, smiling softly at her, "Ol z'klaen naut xxizz ol tluin ukt ust draeval ulu quarth dos jal doeb ulu malar." She jumped immediately from surprise and thanked Eilistraee for her obsidian skin. "D' heen naut! Al...xal natha leza. Usstan usieva F'sarn natha leza ezsakil, zhah jal," she admitted, lowering her guilty eyes.

The Seer laughed softly and smiled at her, "Xun naut eszak. Uk zhah biu sweer sut'rinos lu' uk zhaun vel'bol uk zhah xunin, Valyrin."

Feeling the bit of her doubt gone, she smiled and nodded. "Bel'la dos, ilhar."

The Seer smiled as she watched her hurry to the gates.

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He was already at the gate and he watched closely as his soldiers started to appear; the two hours were almost up and his eyes narrowed when he hadn't seen the newest recruit. Just when the two hours finished, he noticed crystal blue hair, which was pulled into a ponytail and obsidian skin. It made her pink eyes stand out; she was a different kind of drow, she had the darkest skin and most drows had white hair and red eyes, not crystal blue hair and pink eyes.

His tail lashed behind him as she approached him. "You almost didn't make it," his stern tone of voice said to her. She tried to keep her gaze up on him but it was almost impossible; his stare was intense.

"I-I'm sorry, general; I was...talking to the Seer," she said, her voice quieting a bit and her gaze finally reaching the ground. For a moment, his eyes softened down at her and his thoughts reminded him that she was still very young, but he quickly dismissed the thought and his eyes turned hard again.

"Now that you're here, I want to discuss what we'll do to strike them."

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They soon found the drows and duergars and stayed hidden in the shadows; the general wanted her to stay close to him and be ready to attack. She didn't feel scared, she didn't feel nervous; she felt calm, she was in the shadows.

The general signaled with his hands to his hidden archers to fire and they did, and they hit only a few duergars and drows. He dashed out and grabbed his heavy flail, and began killing the enemy; she also ran out, drawing her short swords, and began her assault.

A drow came up to her and swung his longsword at her, but she blocked it with both her short swords; she twisted her swords and her body, cutting his stomach with one blade and his throat with the other. She went to a duergar who was about to axe one of her allies and she stabbed her weapon through his skull.

The general was ripping throats and stomachs with his flail, but there were still many and his soldiers were going down.

"General! Ilithids and beholders!" an archer called out.

His stomach dropped as he saw them appear; some of his soldiers have already fallen victim to the ilithids, becoming mindless thralls.

She was fending off a drow when a beholder appeared behind her and started to charge his beamed eyes.

"Valyrin! Look out!"

He called out as she finished the drow off, but it was too late; she turned and got hit in the chest and stomach. It ripped right through her and another went through her leg, making her collapse to the ground.

She tried getting up, ignoring the pain, while the beholder went off to one of her allies; an ilithid came up to her and started to bring his wiggling tentacles to her skull. She tried reaching for her short sword but they were in her skull and was about to render her mindless, but his skull exploded when a flail made contact.

He kneeled beside her and began ripping the tentacles that were still in her skull out; they left holes and she was bleeding. He tried finding the healing potions he knew she bought, but noticed the pouch they were in was cut off.

He scowled, feeling his demon side try to take control, but he willed it back and picked the bleeding drow up.

"Retreat!"

His voice called over to the remaining soldiers.

"Retreat!"

They ran, hiding out in the shadows as the enemy tried following.

They were days away from Lith My'athar; he had to keep them safe; to keep them alive...he had to get her healed.

He kept them in the shadows, had some of his scouts made false trails away from Lith My'athar; when they passed them, they stayed close to the wall. He kept his tail around the shallow breathing drow's waist to keep her close, his arms wrapped around her.

Each day, they got closer to Lith My'athar, but each day, she was closer to death. How she remained alive so far amazed him; she woke up only once and she could only say, "I'm sorry, general." She lost consciousness again, but she remained alive.

He felt his stomach jumped when he saw the gates; he yelled out for clerics to mend his soldiers, but he took her to the Seer. He barged into the temple and ran to the Seer. She saw him and her eyes widened; he was covered in blood and none of it his, and she saw the barely alive drow in his arms and she was immediately over to them.

"Valen, what happened?!" she sounded frantic as she started healing the child. His face hardened at the memory and he explained; told her how many they lost and how many injured, and what happened to her.

She was healed and bandaged soon after; in her room, asleep. Her general, Valen Shadowbreath, stood next to her bed and watched her sleeping form. She hadn't woken up yet, but she was breathing normally and was alive, as were the ones who he was able to keep safe.

His newest recruit, Valyrin Xukuthis, was safe...until the next one.

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_A/N: The prelude to my new story! This is an apology to my readers for the late updates to the other three. My old comp died and I lost it all .-. but I'm working on chapter 2 to "_Demon's Dreams_," so please be patient :) *dodges knives* O.O_


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